


My legacy, my responsibility

by MelindaCoulson4



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, I swear, Sorry Not Sorry, but i'm a wyatt/lucy shipper, i really don't want this to happen, i tried not to make rufus an awkward third wheel b/c he's not, maybe au, maybe spoilers...idk, possible 1x16, so the focus is on them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-24 07:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9712349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelindaCoulson4/pseuds/MelindaCoulson4
Summary: Speculation for 1x16. Lucy takes on the burden of ending Rittenhouse before it can even begin.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic tag to 1x16. I haven’t gotten the chance to watch episode 14 or 15, but I couldn’t resist and watched the promo for 16. It inspired me to write this. I have no idea if it goes along with canon or not, so we'll say it's au. Also, don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled. Anyway….
> 
> Lucy's pov

There isn’t any more time. She can’t put this off anymore. She’s staring at Rufus and Wyatt as they bounce ideas back and forth.

“We could throw him in jail somewhere,” Wyatt suggests.

“Or maybe drop him off in another country?” Rufus responds, while nodding his head in favor of Wyatt’s idea.

They’re talking about the man that they currently have knocked out and tied up in the corner of the room. The man who is solely responsible for Rittenhouse. The man who is her own family member. 

Lucy watches them intently, studying them. For this is very likely the last time that she will see them. They’re a good team. They’ll be okay without her, she knows. Well, actually, if she goes through with this Rittenhouse will be erased and Wyatt and Rufus will have had no reason to ever meet. 

She takes a step closer to Wyatt, hand darting out quickly, aiming for the item at his waist. 

Her hand wraps around the handgun that he has holstered and pulls it towards her own body. 

Wyatt spins around, startled. “Lucy, what are you doing?”

He’s watching her with wide eyes trained on her face. 

Rufus stands next to him, completely flustered. 

“Ending this,” she tells him. 

Her hands are shaky and palms sweaty with anxiety.  The gun is much heavier than she expected. 

“No, we’ll find another way,” Wyatt objects. 

She smiles, despite everything that’s going on he makes her feel a little bit better. He’s so passionate and loyal. He’s always trying to find a way to fix things…to protect her. He’s a good man. 

She loses her courage for a couple of seconds. She wants to believe him. Oh how she wishes things would work out. She could put the gun down. They could all walk away and take her great-great-great-grandfather somewhere secluded. Somewhere that he would be cut off from starting Rittenhouse. Then, the three of them could get back in the time machine and go home. It would be something they could laugh about later on. But that would be a fantasy. Real life was not like that. 

She had to cut Rittenhouse off right now. It had to end before it even began. “No. It’s gone on far enough. I have to do this." 

"Lucy, no,” Rufus says. 

He’s a good man too. Jiya is a lucky woman. 

Wyatt steps even closer to her, grabbing a hold of her upper arm. “I won’t let you.”

She meets his hard, penetrating gaze. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not asking.”

His eyes widen suddenly at her retort. His grip on her arm falters slightly, just for a second. But its enough. 

She rips her arm from his hand, raises the gun in her great-great-great-grandfather’s direction, and pulls the trigger. 

_And that’s how everything ends._

//End// 


	2. That weird feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since time is supposed to be existing all at once, then everything would change. This is just Wyatt's experiences in this new reality without Lucy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a short follow-up to ch.1

He's 15, sitting in history class, the first time that he gets _the feeling_. His teacher is going on and on about Bonnie and Clyde. He doesn't care much about history right now. What's more important is who he's going to ask to the school dance  on Friday night. Yet, when the teacher pulls up a picture of the scene depicting Bonnie and Clyde's death something just feels off about it. The first thought that pops into his mind is just: that's not right. Somehow the picture is wrong. He can see the scene so clearly in his mind it was almost as if he had been there. Bonnie and Clyde shot to death, bodies resting on a field of grass. They weren't supposed to be dead in some car. Before he can raise his hand to object, the bell rings indicating the end of 4th period classes. Well, whatever he's got more important things to worry about.   
  
_He forgets all about Bonnie and Clyde once he walks out of that classroom door.  
_

* * *

He's 22 and just started dating a beautiful woman named Jessica. They're at the movies watching some action thriller. Jessica isn't paying attention to the movie at all. She's way more interested in kissing his neck and holding his hand in hers. He has no complaints. He turns his head and kisses her lips. It's short and sweet. When he pulls away she smiles at him, and then turns her attention back to the movie. She's such a tease.   
  
After a couple of minutes, she leans over towards him and whispers, "hey, sweetheart can you pass the popcorn?"  
  
Her words send chills down his spine and creates that weird _feeling_ that he felt in history class all of those years ago.  
  
_Sweetheart.  
  
Sweetheart._    
  
The name creates an image in his mind of a dark-haired woman smiling brightly at him. She has red lips and she's stunning, but he's never seen her before in his life.   
  
Why the hell is he thinking of this random woman now when he's got Jessica right here?  
  
All he knows is that he never wants Jessica to say, " _sweetheart_ " ever again.   
  
_He doesn't like that nickname at all. In fact, he hates it._  

* * *

He's 34, taking his son to the local GameStop for some new Star Wars game that he can't remember the name of. Thomas is 8 and basically bouncing off of the walls with excitement. Thomas just got a PlayStation and has been bugging him to play it too, but he's never really seen the appeal of video games. Once they walk into the store Thomas somehow instinctively knows exactly where the game is on the shelf. He picks it up and spins around, ready to run up to the counter when he collides with a random stranger.   
  
"I'm so sorry," Wyatt apologizes to the man. "My son is just way too excited to get home and play this game."  
  
"Ohh, it's no problem. He's going to love it. It's fun," the guy says. "Right, Jiya?"  
  
"Oh definitely," the woman standing right next to him chimes in. They're obviously a couple.   
  
Wyatt smiles politely and turns around. "Alright, let's go pay for this."   
  
When Wyatt and Thomas walk out of the store, he's hit with another scene in his head.  
  
_I trust Jiya.  
  
Yea, I bet you do. I got eyes, you sly dog.   
  
Are you and Jiya happening? Is it happening? Told you it was going to happen._  
  
Suddenly, he feels a small tug on his hand.   
"Dad are you okay?"   
  
It's Thomas.  
  
"Yea, buddy. Let's go home," Wyatt says as he opens his car door.   
  
_What the hell was that?_

_//end//_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Her name is Lucy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wyatt & Lucy together and what that might look like. (this summary is shitty...sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, alright you guys convinced me to do another one, but remember that you asked for this….

_BEEEEEP._

_BEEEEEP._

_BEEEEEP._

"Ughhhh." He hears the groan of disgust behind him. 

Their alarm clock was extremely obnoxious. But, he specifically bought it for that reason. Otherwise, Lucy would never wake up. Waking up in the morning was always a struggle to her. 

He's lying face up in their bed with thick, fluffy blankets cocooning him in warmth. Lucy is somewhere to his right. He can't see where she is. All he can see is strands of dark curls peeking out from under the top comforter. 

She always tended to roll around in her sleep. Sometimes he would wake up and she would be wrapped up in all of the blankets at the end of the bed. Other times she would practically be on top of him. It was always a surprise to see where she would end up once they woke up in the morning. 

He can hear her shifting underneath the blankets, slowly moving towards him. One of her arms wraps around his middle and she curls her hand so that it is pressed between his back and the mattress. Her fingers are freezing like always. 

"Mmmmph. I never want to get up," she mumbles into his t-shirt, nuzzling her face into the warmth between his arm and chest. 

He breathes deeply, inhaling the scent of her curls. It's sweet and fruity just like her shampoo. 

This is his favorite thing. Just having her body pressed against his own in their bed. He can feel the light exhales of breath from her nose against his arm. She's definitely going to fall back asleep and if he's not careful the comfort of her body will lull him back to sleep too. Now, she's making him never want to get up. This feels perfect, almost like a dream. 

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

The alarm blares again, startling him. He doesn't remember setting two alarms to go off within such a short amount of time. Lucy probably did it. After all, she's the one that needs six separate alarms in order to drag herself out of bed. Normally, she sets the two alarms on the clock on her bedside table. Then, she sets four alarms on her cell phone, which also rests on her bedside table. 

The usual routine was for him to wake up at the sound of the first alarm and hop in the shower. Meanwhile, she continues to sleep until the second alarm wakes her up. At least, that's how she always planned it. It didn't always work out quite that well. That's why she had the four backup alarms. 

He lifts his head off of the pillow, looking over Lucy's head to check the time on the clock. 

_7:05 am_

They were late. No time for a shower at moment. He would take one after his morning walk. 

He lowers his lips to the top of Lucy's head of hair and kisses her gently, then rolls out of bed. 

"I'll make the coffee," he says, although he doubts she heard him. 

She makes a little noise of protest in response, something between a grunt and a whine. She's already started to burrow herself completely within the sea of blankets again.  

He smiles adoringly at her small form underneath it all. 

The air is chilly outside of their bed, causing a shiver to run through his body. This winter was a bitter one.

He shuffles towards the door and decides to leave it wide-open as he enters the hallway. Hoping the noise would eventually rouse Lucy from her hibernation. 

He makes his way to the end of the hall. First stop, the door to his left. It's halfway open. He peaks his head in and is stunned by the mess. It looks like a rainbow exploded in here. Barbie dolls cover at least half of the carpeted floor. There are books scattered everywhere. Some are cracked open like they were abandoned mid-read. Almost every item in here is brightly colored, yet pink is the main color that stands out.

There are four pieces of paper laid out in a row near the foot of the bed covered in paint. One piece of artwork depicts a picture of: an orange house, a blue man, a red woman, a pink child, and a yellow sun in the top corner. He assumes that’s supposed to be their family. As for the other pictures, he can't quite make out what they are. 

Their daughter is a creative child. The creativity, he appreciates. The mess, he does not appreciate. 

He pushes at the wooden door, causing it to creak as it swings open. This all has no effect on the sleeping child wrapped up in blankets, exactly like his wife. He tiptoes through the maze of toys and books, taking extra precautions not to step on anything. 

"Time to wake up, sunshine," he says softly. 

His words have no effect on the tiny six year old. At least, that's what he thought until a sudden cry of protest emanates from underneath the blankets. 

"You can do it. Come on. You'll live," he softly encourages. He begins tugging the blankets back, freezing when Kate's head pops up. 

Her hair is matted as if she had been caught in a twister. 

"I'll do it myself!" She yells in protest. 

It's almost surprising that so much noise could come from such a small person. 

So, it was going to be _that_ type of morning. _Wonderful_. 

"Okay. Okay," he relents, while slowly backing out of the room. 

He jogs down the stairs, each step creaking under his weight. When he enters the kitchen he's instantly blasted with another chilly wave over his body. It's freezing down here. 

He walks over to the wall and taps the up arrow on the thermostat. Hopefully, it would heat up just a little bit before his girls come down for breakfast. 

A movement outside the window closest to him captures his attention. 

They decided to brighten up their kitchen when they bought this house eight years ago, which meant adding more windows. They added a total of five windows in this room. The windows are all tall and wide making their view of the backyard spectacular and convenient. When Kate was outside they could be standing or cooking in the kitchen and track her every move.

In the summer, the windows allowed for so much light to shine into the house, which complemented the white marble countertops in the kitchen. 

Looking out the window now, he can see icicles dangling off of the side of the roof. It's beginning to snow again, like it had been for the last three mornings. Five feet of snow had already accumulated on the ground. It wasn't enough to delay Kate's elementary school, which upset her. She had been hoping for a snow day, so that she could run around in their backyard making snow angels and snowmen. 

Well, she's going to get her wish if she doesn't get out of bed and ready for school within the next five minutes. 

He has to get a move on here. He pulls his attention away from the winter scenery outside and towards the coffee maker, which was another thing that got him up in the mornings. When he and Lucy first started dating and spending nights, then naturally mornings with each other he discovered her love for coffee. 

That was always the first thing she did after waking up. She would barely even speak before she took a sip of her coffee. It was endearing. That was one of the things that made it so easy for him to fall in love with her. 

He pops the lid on the coffee container and instantly inhales the intoxicating smell. It was Lucy's favorite. She had fantastic taste in coffee and dragged him into her addiction. He already felt a small burst in energy just by smelling the ground up beans.

As he waits for the coffee to brew, he finally hears the familiar pitter-patter of tiny feet coming down the wooden stairs. 

He walks over to the refrigerator and takes the gallon of milk out. Then, he reaches a hand up and pulls down Kate's favorite plastic bowl, which is the red one. Last week, he tried giving her the blue one with her cereal in it, which caused a meltdown. Kate cried, she was late to school, and it caused a fight between him and Lucy. All caused by the color of a bowl. Well, he definitely learned his lesson. 

He pours the box of frosted cheerios into the red bowl, then adds a small amount of milk. 

He turns around and greets his daughter. "Good morning," he says in a cheery, singsong voice. 

"No," she pouts while pulling herself onto one of the wooden chairs belonging to the kitchen table. 

"Someone is just like mommy in the mornings," he teases. 

Wyatt places the small bowl in front of her. He doesn't get a thank you, but he does receive a glare. He tries not to laugh in response. Kate's cheeks are puffed up and she has her arms crossed over her chest.  She is so adorable. 

They both turn their heads towards the creaking of the stairs, watching as Lucy steps into the kitchen. 

She's basically swimming in a giant sweater that he strongly suspects is one of his, but can't be sure. Her hair is still a tangled mess of curls. Her eyes appear to be barely open; she's squinting heavily at the brightness of the outside light shining in. 

Her fuzzy sock clad feet glide across the kitchen tile in Kate's direction. She kisses the top of Kate's head and mumbles into her hair," good morning, baby." 

Apparently, Kate isn't too keen on Lucy this morning either because she continues to pout into her bowl of cheerios. 

Lucy walks toward him and then wraps her arms around his waist. She burrows her nose in his chest. He can feel the cold temperature of the tip of her nose through the cotton of his t-shirt.  

No words are needed to be exchanged between them. It's just a small good morning hug that they have just like every other morning. 

Lucy pulls away from him after a moment and moves over to the refrigerator, sliding open a bottom drawer, then pulling a couple of items out. She peels open a pack of string cheese and wordlessly places it in front of Kate. 

Kate picks it up immediately and begins biting into it with no problem. 

Kate enjoying a piece of cheese was not surprising. It was one of her favorite foods. The problem came when she had to eat fruits, which is what Lucy was about to give her next. 

After chopping up some strawberries and a banana, Lucy drops the pieces of fruit into another plastic bowl. This time it's the blue one. She switches the red bowl for the blue bowl in front of Kate and then waits with arms crossed, back against the countertop. 

Kate automatically pushes the bowl away, stretching her small arms as far as they could go across the kitchen table. It was almost kind of funny. _Almost._ If they didn't go through this every other morning he would probably laugh. 

"Uh-uh," Lucy responds with a quick shake of her head. "Eat the fruit." 

"Its gross mommy," Kate whines, yet still reaches for the bowl and slides it back towards herself. 

Lucy frowns and flashes a stern stare serving as a warning to Kate. Almost as if she's saying 'this isn't a negotiation' with her face. She doesn't need words. He and Kate knew exactly what that face meant. 

Kate crosses her arms in front of her chest and glares at the bowl almost like she was trying to stare the fruit into submission. As if she thought the glare alone would cause the fruit to magically disappear.

Kate and Lucy had the exact same facial expressions at the moment. Glancing at Kate now was like seeing a mirror image of Lucy, only smaller. Mini-Lucy, that's what Rufus started calling her once she had turned two. 

The coffee maker beeps, signaling that the coffee was ready for consumption. 

He pours two cups of the coffee, one in his usual _#1 Dad_ mug that Kate had decorated for him last year and given to him as a gift for father’s day. The other cup, Lucy's favorite, one that he had bought for her. It had the words: _I'd travel through time for you_ written on it. 

It was so cheesy, yet he felt a need to buy it for her as a little inside joke. It wasn’t like they could overtly talk about what they used to do with other people, so that was his little way of rebelling. 

He found it in a little corner store a couple of years back and knew that he had to buy it. 

"Oh, you like Doctor Who?" The cashier had asked.

"Uhh..no actually, my wife. She's a big fan," he had replied while smiling politely. He really just wanted to say 'no, I have literally traveled through time for her just like the words on the mug,' but he kept his mouth shut and quickly paid for it. Sometimes it was difficult keeping the secret. Having Lucy by his side made it all much easier. He always had someone to understand when he wanted to vent. Of course, there were Rufus and Jiya too, but there was just something about Lucy right from the beginning. They just connected. They understood each other on every level. There was never any pretending between them, for better or worse. 

When he had brought the mug home and given it to her she had laughed, which then turned into crying. The emotions were suddenly too much for her to bear. She had said she was so tired, yet happy that they were finished with it all. A couple weeks later, he proposed. 

Currently, Lucy teaches the occasional history class at the local community college. When she's not busy with that, she writes books. Books about a wide-range of history subjects, she had first-hand knowledge after all. 

He is a stay at home dad. In his free time he cooks. It was a hobby that he had picked up once they moved in together. He quickly discovered that he both enjoyed it and had a natural talent. Some days, he instructs self-defense training courses at the gym in town. It was something that he was very passionate about helping people with. 

Of course, when Lucy writes her books, he helps her out. But no one knew that truth. How could they explain that he had the knowledge of certain historical events without any formal education?

They don't need to work. Truthfully, they're set for life. But after the excitement of time travel, they didn't want to get stuck in the lull of domesticity. Sure, they cherish the quiet moments, but they both still enjoy a little fun every now and then. 

A hand covering his own pulls him back to reality. It's Lucy's hand, reaching for her cup of hot steaming liquid. 

"Thanks, _sweetheart_ ," she says to him.

He turns his head, meeting her eyes. "You're welcome, _baby doll_." 

They both laugh at the nicknames.

She always shoots him that special look. A wide grin on her face, that crinkle of her eyes, and the giggling are all hallmarks. He loves it. He lives to see her like that. 

"And another thing…I love you," he tells her quietly, leaning in to press his mouth to hers.

She pulls away from the kiss too quickly, in his opinion.

"I love you too," she whispers against his lips, then grabs a fistful of his cotton shirt and tugs him down to her lips again. 

Her lips are soft and inviting. She tilts her head to the side, deepening the kiss. She was intoxicating. His hand automatically moves, cupping the back of her head.

Just as he's about to slip his tongue into her mouth a squeak of protest interrupts him. 

"Oh…not again!" Kate sighs from her seat at the table. 

Lucy pulls away from him, smiling lightly as she quickly takes a sip from her coffee mug. 

"Oh...stop it," he replies, silently reminding himself to give Rufus hell for teaching Kate to say that. He had taught her that after a night of babysitting. She informed them that Rufus promised that he would pay her a dollar if she said that every time that her parents did the 'yucky kissing'. That's just what they got for having Rufus and Jiya babysit so often.

He checks the clock on the oven and realizes that it's time that he and Kate walk to the bus stop.

"Let's go. Bus time." He takes a quick gulp of his coffee, satisfying the craving. He'll be back to drink the rest of it and maybe he and Lucy could do some more of that 'yucky kissing' without interruption.

Kate hops off of her chair and slowly drags her feet towards the front of the house to put her shoes on. 

"Have a great day at school!" Lucy calls from the kitchen as they walk out the door two minutes later. 

He watches as Kate climbs the stairs to the bus and sits in the second seat to the front. He waves at her one last time as the bus pulls away, continuing down the street. 

_“Wyatt.”_

_“Wyatt.”_

_“Wyatt!”_

He jerks awake, heart pounding in his chest. 

"Honey, the alarm went off 20 minutes ago. Come on!" 

It's Jessica calling out to him from the doorway to their bedroom. _Wait….their bedroom? Jessica?_

He glances around the room and is suddenly hit with memories of his life with Jessica and Thomas. He quickly realizes that this was _his life_. 

Lucy and Kate were not _real_. 

It was all in his head.

 

_It was all a dream._

 

//end// 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really am sorry about this one.  But I really do hope that they can end up like this for real someday. If you don't want your hearts broken just pretend that it ended after Wyatt took Kate to the bus. 
> 
> Please comment and let me know your feelings and reaction! lol

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment with your thoughts/theories/feelings. Thanks for reading!


End file.
